On Tuesday, Chrysler Group LCC reported September sales of 142,041 vehicles, a 12 percent increase over sales in September 2011. The rise in sales was spread across the company’s portfolio of brands, with Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram Truck, and Fiat all seeing increases in their sales, as compared to last year, a spokesman for Chrysler said. The 12 percent rise makes this the best September for the auto manufacturer since September 2007, and provided further indication that the automotive market is returning, in the wake of the 2008 economic meltdown.

A spokesman for the company attributed the increase in sales not only to the continued economic recovery, but also to favorable interest rates, and growing consumer confidence in Chrysler’s vehicles.

“Going forward with our current product lineup, record-low interest rates and a stable U.S. economy, we remain optimistic about the health of the U.S. new vehicle sales industry and our position in it,” Reid Bigland, head of U.S. sales for Chrysler, said in a statement.

Part of the increase in September sales is attributable to the strong demand for Chrysler’s reintroduced Dodge Dart, which debuted earlier in 2012. The company moved 5,235 Darts off its lots in September, a full 72 percent better than in August, just a month prior.

The Fiat brand had a landmark month as well. The Italian automaker, which is affiliated with Chrysler, sold 4,176 vehicles in September, the most it has ever moved in one month within the U.S.

1. I got a Fiat 500 sport

great gas mileage in city (manual transmission, about 32 mpg for my 15-minute city commute). It's small enough I can park it anywhere. The bluetooth/SiriusXM/Bose audio couldn't be better and it's just cute as a button, not to mention a reminder of my homeland. I have pictures of my 20-year old mom - looking 70s fashionable with long hair and 70s dress - when she was going to visit her then-boyfriend (now husband and my dad) while stationed in Sicily for his compulsory service next to her Fiat 500.